The Verbal Reasoning section is just one of three parts on the Graduate Record Examination, also known as the GRE. In this section, students must answer both sentence equivalence and text completion questions.

Take a closer look at what these types of questions entail, and learn some strategies for arriving at the correct answers:

What Are Sentence Equivalence Questions?
For each sentence equivalence question, a student is given a sentence with a blank space. Instead of choosing just one answer option to put into the blank space, a student must choose two – when put into the blank space, each answer option should create a logical sentence. Furthermore, both complete sentences should have the same meaning. There are a total of six answer options for each sentence equivalence question.

Strategies for Mastering Sentence Equivalence Questions
There are many things students can do to improve their performance on this part of the GRE. Sentence equivalence practice should start with reading the entire sentence and scanning all of the answer choice options. One of the most effective GRE sentence completion tips for students to keep in mind is to look for words and phrases that reveal the meaning or tone of a sentence. It’s easier for a student to choose the most appropriate answer options when they grasp the overall meaning of a sentence.

For example, the words “however” and “although” can be clues that the second part of a sentence conflicts with the first part. Take a look at this sentence: “The trial attorney was known for his grandiloquent speeches in the courtroom; however, his demeanor was ____ while spending time at home with his family.” The word “however” in the sentence should signal a student to look for an answer option that means the opposite of “grandiloquent.” Alternatively, a student who sees the words “moreover” or “similarly” in a sentence should bear in mind that these words indicate agreement.

Students looking for other useful GRE sentence completion tips may want to try coming up with a few words that would fit logically into a sentence. After thinking of a short list of words, students can peruse the answer options to find two words that are similar in meaning. Another technique to try as a student participates in GRE sentence equivalence practice is to cross out answer options that would definitely not fit in the sentence.

What Are Text Completion Questions?
GRE text completion questions measure how well students evaluate and interpret reading material. Each GRE text completion question features a short passage. There are one to three blank spaces within the passage, requiring a student to choose the best answer option for each one.

For instance, if there are three blanks in a passage, then a student will have three answer options per blank. Alternatively, if the passage consists of just a single sentence with one blank space, then the student will receive five answer options to choose from. In the end, a student should end up with a passage made up of logical sentences.

How to Master Text Completion Questions
The first step in a student’s approach to a text completion question should be to read the entire passage. This gives a student an idea of the tone and structure of the passage. The next step is to look for words in the passage that can help a student select the answer option that leads to logical sentence completion. GRE questions in this section challenge a student’s ability to consistently create coherent sentences. Some words to look for include “moreover,” “although,” and “however.”

When working on a text completion question, it’s not necessary for students to start with the first blank and finish by finding an answer option that fits the third blank. Sometimes, filling in the blanks out of order can simplify the process of determining the correct answers for each one.

Our staff at Veritas Prep stands ready to help students who want to put forth their best performance on the GRE. At Veritas Prep, we teach our students practical strategies that prepare them for the GRE. Furthermore, students who take advantage of our prep courses learn from instructors who’ve mastered the exam.

We provide expert guidance on all of the questions on this challenging test, including the ones that involve text and sentence completion. GRE courses are available to suit the busy schedules of our students. We give our students the tools they need to excel – contact Veritas Prep today and let us help you master the GRE!